U.S. EPA recognizes the Guam Environmental Education Committee

HONOLULU - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Guam Environmental Education Committee for their work to further environmental awareness throughout Guam as part of the EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s environmental awards program.

“EPA is pleased to recognize the Guam Environmental Education Committee for its commitment to unify Guam’s environmental education efforts,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Their activities and efforts have and continue to reach thousands of island residents in an effort to protect the quality of Guam’s air, water and land.”

The Guam Environmental Education Committee has transformed environmental education and outreach on Guam since its inception in 2004. The Committee – whose members include local and federal government agencies, nonprofit groups, teachers, students, and the private sector – organizes over a dozen environmental education and outreach events each year. The Committee's success is due to the commitment and dedication of its organizers and participants, and also to the comprehensive approach that the group has taken to unify the island's environmental education resources.

The Committee organizes the annual island-wide Earth Day activities, which in 2012 expanded to a full month of events. They also hold regular free, public events such as snorkeling tours and litter cleanups, and also organize speakers for classrooms and produces outreach materials.The Committee has three subgroups focusing on different areas: Tano (land), Tasi (sea), and Hanom (water). In 2011, it developed a comprehensive environmental education strategy for Guam, the first of its kind for the island.

The EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s Environmental Awards program acknowledges commitments and significant contributions to the environment in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Pacific Islands and tribal lands. Groups and individuals were selected from nominees received this year from businesses, local, government officials, tribes, media, environmental organizations and community activists.